CHICAGO — Consulting firm Stratos Group announced a new wellness plan Tuesday. They are replacing overtime pay with "mindful pauses." The company says this will help employees have "greater impact."

Employees working past 8 p.m. will no longer get extra money. Instead, they get access to a premium meditation app. "We found that money does not actually fix stress," said Kevin O’Malley, VP of Human Capital Resilience. "But closing your eyes for 30 seconds does. We are giving our team the tools they really need to survive the work we assign them."

The new policy requires staff to practice self-care without stopping work. One rule suggests doing deep breathing exercises while being yelled at by clients. "It is about integration," explained Linda Wu, Director of Peak Performance. "If you are working 80 hours a week and feel tired, that is on you. You should be imagining a beach while you build the slide deck. Burnout is just a failure to multitask your relaxation." Wu added that complaints about workload are "negative energy" that hurts the culture.

At press time, Stratos Group announced a new "Wellness Room." It is a broom closet with a bean bag. Employees can book it in three-minute slots for a small payroll deduction.

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